Great reasons to freeze food

There are a whole host of reasons for why you might want to think about freezing food at home.

Saving money

How often do you throw out sad and rotten fruit and vegetables, half-used tins, left-over meals, or milk and cream that is past its use by date?  By keeping a close eye on what is in your fridge, you can freeze food that might otherwise go off, while it is still fresh.  Just be sure to freeze it while it is still fresh and in good condition and freeze it in small quantities (so it freezes quickly and is more convenient to use) to retain the maximum quality and nutritional value.  You get to enjoy the food another day, and can save a load of money on your grocery bill.

You can also buy up large when you see a great special – like broccoli for 99 cents, or tomatoes for $3 a kilogram – and then be eating healthily but cheaply when those fruits or vegetables get more expensive out of season.  Imagine adding some strawberries to your apple crumble in the middle of winter.  Yum. 

Saving time

Freezing a plate of leftovers, or what is left of the casserole, provides an instant meal for someone’s lunch or dinner on a busy day.

Blanching vegetables for freezing does take time.  But you get to choose how much time you want to put in and when and if it suits you to do it.  In return, you get a big time pay-back later on.  You’ll save time on shopping, especially ducking out for last minute supplies.  And with a well-stocked freezer you’ll always be able to rustle something up quickly for dinner when you’re tired or in a hurry.

Eating more healthily

We all have days when we come home tired, look at an empty fridge, and head out for takeaways.  It is much easier to eat healthily and avoid temptation when you have quick-to-prepare food on hand.  A full freezer is a great way to do this. 

Tips:

• have you ever tipped out the last of the milk before you head off on holiday?  How about freezing it instead.  It will look a bit odd, but when you get back home and thaw your milk, it will be as good as new
• if you have a banana that is too brown or bruised to eat, pop it whole into the freezer.  The banana will be black, and mushy when it is thawed, but is fine for cooking up in cakes, muffins or curries
• root ginger can be kept in a bag or container in the freezer and chopped or grated, still frozen, whenever you need it.  You need never be short of tasty real ginger for a meal or hot lemon honey ginger drink.

Related links

• Freezing food
• Blanching vegetables for freezing
• Preserving food

External links 

Check out the following websites for tips, ideas, recipes and inspiring photos:

• New Zealand Gardener
• Healthy Food Guide
• Lovefoodhatewaste.com